It’s summertime, summertime, and that means that most of us are looking at our gardens, ripe with bounty and possibilities, and wondering what to do with what nature and our own blood and sweat has reaped (not I, for the record. My thumb is as black a coal). Salads and snacks are the obvious, but some of us go a step further and turn the seasons’ fruit into decadent desserts beloved by all. While a fruit dessert is rarely my first choice, I will concede that it’s a valid one (my friends everywhere have just fallen over in disbelief). My mom makes this raspberry pie, beloved by all and a staple on her gathering table. I would be amiss if I did not share it, so here it is.

I’m not sure where she got the recipe, to be honest. So many of our cake or pie dessert recipes come straight from grandma (see: peach upside down cake, mandalas torte, for a few faves). A few years ago it just appeared, and it has yet to overstay its welcome.

It’s as simple as can be: the filling is little more than raspberries, and the crust is your basic pie. Garnished with whipped cream, it’s pretty much an alternative way to just eat fruit, with not much added sugar or fluff to tarnish the integrity of the berry itself. If I had to offer her my two cents, I’d suggest using less filling, making a shortbread crust and making it more like a tart than a pie. That’s my opinion and not well received, so I may have to conduct that little experiment on my own time.

Still, this is good just as it is. Mom served it alongside a lemon cake on Memorial Day, and the table was split over which dish had them going for seconds. I just had two slices of each. That, is the way to go.

Raspberry Pie

July 4, 2019

Servings: 8

Prep: 1 hr

Cook: 15 min

Difficulty: Easy

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Fresh raspberries are simply sugared and prepared to fill a flaky deep dish pie crust in this homemade, homestyle, fresh raspberry pie.

By: Chrissy

Ingredients

For the pie crust:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold buttermilk, plus 1-2 tablespoons if necessary
For the filling:
4 pints raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 TB corn starch
1 TB lemon juice
pinch salt

Directions

Step 1 Make the pie crust:
Step 2 In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the four, sugar and salt to combine. Add cold, cubed butter and pulse until all is well the butter is pea sized. Do not over-pulse. Alternatively, using your fingers (or a fork), work the butter into the flour mixture. Create a well in the mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Use a fork to bring to dough together and moisten all the flour. Add a bit more buttermilk as needed, but make sure it is not outwardly wet. On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture and knead into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 3 Preheat the oven to 400F. Roll the crust out to fit a 9″ pie pan, and to desired thickness (to your preference if you prefer a thicker or thinner crust). Poke holes in the bottom and the sides of the crust with a fork. Trim the crust to fit the plate. Bake 15-16 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
Step 4 Make the filling:
Step 5 Place 2 pints of the washed berries in a sauce pan with the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Heat over low heat. Melt into a glace-like consistency and thicken. Add lemon juice.
Step 6 Place remaining 2 pints of berries into a cooled crust and pour glace sauce over berries. Let set overnight in the fridge. Garnish with whipped cream.